Printing cylinders-with dual position printing plates



Dec. 17, 1957 I F. HEIL 2,816,503

PRINTING CYLINDERSWITH DUAL POSITION PRINTING PLATES Filed June 11. 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1957 F. HEIL 2,81

PRINTING CYLINDERS WITH DUAL POSITION PRINTING PLATES Filed June 11, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent PRINTING CYLINDERS WITH DUAL POSITIO PRINTING PLATES Friedrich Heil, Frankfurt am Main-Preungesheim, Germany, assignor to Telefonbau und Normalizeit G. in. b. H., Frankfurt am Main, Germany, a firm Application June 11, 1956, Serial No. 590,766

6 Claims. (Cl. 101-91) This invention refers to printing cylinders for rotary printing, and more particularly to printing cylinders for postage meters.

Printing cylinders such as those used for postage meters are often provided with a plurality of printing plates intended to be used selectively rather than jointly.

it is, therefore, one object of this invention to provide a printing cylinder having manually operable means onabling to readily change the position of a printing plate thereon from an active position, enabling printing with the plate, to an inactive position, precluding printing with the plate.

Postage meters and the printing cylinders thereof are subject to the most stringent space limitations. As a general rule, each printing cylinder is associated with a plurality of printing plates, counting mechanisms, adjustable date stamps, etc., occupying most of the space available in this region and minimizing the space available for inactive or storage positions of the printing plates.

It is, therefore, another object of this invention to provide printing cylinders including means of utmost compactness enabling to readily shift printing plates between an inactive or storage position and an active or imprinting position.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will, in part, be obvious and in part appear hereinafter.

Printing cylinders embodying this invention include, in addition to a printing plate supported by the cylinder, means for selectively raising said plate to a relatively high level wherein said plate may become effective and to lower said plate to a relatively lower level wherein said plate is ineffective. Said plate raising and lowering means comprise shifting means enabling shifting of said plate relative to said cylinder in the direction of the axis thereof, and a wedge surface adapted to cooperate with an abutment to transmit a radially outward thrust to said printing plate. The wedge surface may be an integral part of the printing plate, in which case the cooperating abutment is formed by some structural element integral of the printing cylinder; or the wedge surface may be an integral part of the printing cylinder, in which case the cooperating abutment is formed by some structural element integral of the printing plate. With such a mechanism a printing plate needs to be shifted radially only in the order of tenth of an inch to move it from an active position to an inactive position, and vice versa.

For a better understanding of the invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a printing cylinder of a postage meter and of parts associated with the printing cylinder;

Pig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 1 with the printing plate in the active or printing position thereof;

Fig. 3 is a same bottom plan view as Fig. 2 with the printing plate in the inactive position thereof precluding printing with said plate;

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Fig. 4 is a section along AA of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a section along B-B of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a section transversely across the printing cylin-v der with the printing plate shown in the active or printing position thereof.

Referring now to the drawings, reference numeral 1 has been applied to indicate a printing cylinder supported on frame structure 3 by means of a shaft 2. Four separate printing plates 4, 5, 6 and 7 are associated with, and supported by, printing cylinder 1. Printing plate 4 may be an advertising plate, printing plate 5 a date plate, printing plate 6 may include a notice which may be required for some types of mail, and should be omitted from other types of mail, and printing plate 7 may be a plate for printing a postage stamp. The notice on printing plate 6 may indicate in which way the required postage has been determined, e. g. refer to a certain rate, or schedule of rates. Such notice is appropriate in some instances, and should be altogether omitted in other instances.

As best shown in Figs. 4 and 5, printing plate 6 is secured by means of a pair of screws 8 and 9 to a printing plate support 10, Plate support 10 is arranged in a slot, or recess 11, formed in the cylindrical surface 17 of the printing cylinder 1 and provided with a pair of spaced substantially wedge shaped cams 12 and 13, triangular in cross-section. Reference numeral 16 indicates a substantialiy plate-shaped bracket arranged parallel to printing plate 6 and plate support 1t]. Bracket 16 integral with printing cylinder 1 is provided with two spaced cutouts or recesses 14 and 15. The spacing of cut-outs or recesses 14 and 15 is equal to the spacing of cams 12 and .13. Cams 12 and 13 are adapted to enter into the cut-outs or recesses 14 and 15, and enter said cut-outs of recesses when printing plate 6 and plate support 14) are being moved from the active position thereof to their inactive position. Bracket 16 is provided with a straight slot 18 arranged between cut-outs or recesses 14 and 15 and engaged by a guide pin 19 which is riveted to a point of plate support It) situated midway between cams or wedge members 12 and 13. Pin 19 supports a leaf spring 20 on the end thereof remote from plate support 10 having cylindrically shaped or bent ends biased radially outwardly, i. e. toward or against bracket 16. As shown in Fig. 5 the cylindrically bent ends of leaf spring 20 rests against bracket 10 when printing plate 6 and plate support 10 are in their lower inactive position. If plate 6 and plate support 19 are shifted toward the rightas viewed in Fig. 5the right edge portions of recesses or cut-outs 14 and 15 exert pressure against the right slanting portions of cams or wedge members 12 and 13, resulting in a radially outward thrust upon printing plate 6 and plate support 10. Thus cams 12, 13 form abutments cooperating with abutments formed by edges of cut-outs 14, 15. As a result printing plate 6 and plate support 10 are being raised radially outwardly against the action of leaf spring Ztl. When printing plate 6 and plate support 113 are moved to their right limit position shown in Fig. 4, the printing plate 6 and plate support 10 are on their higher or printing level, and the cylindrical ends of leaf spring 20 enter the cut-outs or recesses 14 and 15. In this position of the parts of the device the cams or wedge members 12 and 13 rest with their apex portions upon the radially outer surface of bracket 16 and the ends of leaf spring 20 within cut-outs or recesses 14 and 15 tend to interlock the printing plate 6 and its support 10 in the printing position thereof. Upon rotation of printing cylinder 1 with the printing plate 6 in its radially outer position shown in Fig. 4, printing plate 4 will cause an impression jointly with the other printing plates 4, 5 and 7.

If it is intended to make an imprint without printing plate 6, i. e. with printing plates 4, 5 and 7 only, printing plate 6 and plate support 10 are shifted from right to left-as seen in Fig. 4-causing the Wedge members 12 and 13 to be pulled into the cut-outs or recesses 14, 15 under the action of leaf spring 20. Concomitant shifting of printing plate 6 and plate support 10 radially inwardly into printing cylinder 1 causes the raised printing on printing plate 6 to be moved out of, or away from, the printing level. Upon rotation of printing cylinder 1 with the printing plate 6 in the lowered position shown in Fig. 5, printing plate 6 will not cause any impression, i. only printing plates 4, 5 and 6 will be active.

It will be understood that I have illustrated and described herein a preferred embodiment of my invention, and that various changes may be made in the details thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, as defined in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination a printing cylinder for rotary printing; a printing plate supported by said cylinder; means for selectively raising and lowering said plate including a plate support having a pair of spaced substantially wedge-shaped cam surfaces thereon, said plate raising and lowering means further including a member arranged below said plate support integral with said cylinder defining a pair of recesses equally spaced as said pair of cam surfaces and adapted to be engaged by said pair of cam surfaces; a pin on said plate support engaging a straight slot in said member; and a leaf spring arranged on the other side of said member than said plate support supported by said pin having ends biased toward said pair of recesses yieldably opposing shifting of said plate when in the raised position thereof in the direction of the axis of said cylinder.

2. In combination a printing cylinder for rotary printing defining a recess therein on the cylindrical surface thereof, printing plate means arranged in said recess with sufiicient clearance to enable movement of said printing plate means relative to said cylinder in the direction of the axis thereof, projections on the side of said printing plate means opposite the printing surface thereof forming abutments, abutment means integral with said printing cylinder adapted to cooperate with said projections on said printing plate means to lift said printing plate means on a higher level of said cylinder upon movement of said printing plate means relative to said cylinder in the direction of the axis thereof, and spring means biasing said printing plate means to a lower level of said printing cylinder.

3. An arrangement as specified in claim 2 wherein said abutment means comprises a bracket having a straight slot arranged inside of said cylinder, and wherein said printing plate means is provided with a pin extending into said slot and supporting said spring means.

. 4 4. In combination a printing cylinder for rotary printing having a straight slot in the cylindrical surface thereof parallel to the axis of said cylinder, a printing plate support arranged within said slot adapted to be moved therein in a direction longitudinally thereof, a printing plate on the radially outer side of said support, wedge action means projecting from the radially inner side of said support, abutment means integral with said cylinder to cooperate with said wedge action means upon movement of said support in said slot to raise said support from a relatively low level to a relatively high level, and spring means accommodated inside of said cylinder biasing said support to said relatively low level.

5. An arrangement as specified in claim 4 wherein the inside of said cylinder accommodates a substantially plateshaped member having a cut-out adapted to receive said wedge action means when said support is at said relatively low level, edge areas of said cut-out being adapted to cooperatively engage said wedge action means to lift said support to said relatively high level upon movement of said support along said slot.

6. In combination a printing cylinder for rotary printing having a slot therein parallel to the axis thereof, a printing plate support arranged within said slot adapted to be moved therein in a direction longitudinally thereof, a printing plate on the radially outer side of said support, a pair of spaced wedge action means projecting from the radially inner side of said support, a substantially plateshaped member arranged inside said cylinder parallel to said support having a pair of cut-outs equally spaced as said pair of wedge action means and adapted to receive said pair of wedge action means, edge areas of said cutouts being adapted to cooperatively engage said pair of wedge action means to raise the level of said printing plate upon movement of said support along said slot, a pin on said support arranged in the space betwen said pair of wedge action means, a slot in said plate-shaped member arranged in the space between said pair of cut-outs and engaged by said pin, and a leaf-spring supported by said pin biased toward said support to lower the level thereof, said leaf-spring having ends tending to engage said pair of cut-outs to yieldably lock said support in position when on the raised level thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,196,729 Barroll Aug. 29, 1916 1,423,325 Heberling July 18, 1922 1,623,478 Jahn Apr. 5, 1927 1,798,328 Kohler Mar. 31, 1931 2,179,269 Ogden Nov. 7, 1939 2,204,971 Rouan June 18, 1940 2,708,402 Knauer May 17, 1955 

